


Second Skin

by Godsliltippy



Category: Thunderbirds
Genre: Brotherly Bonding, Brothers, Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-04
Updated: 2020-07-04
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:07:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25078126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Godsliltippy/pseuds/Godsliltippy
Summary: Virgil goes in search of a fish.
Comments: 14
Kudos: 34





	Second Skin

**Author's Note:**

> *overly exaggerated sigh* finally wrote something! This shouldn't have taken me two days x.x

There were days, long, filled with warm sun and not a rescue klaxon to be heard. Those days, Virgil would lose his co-pilot to the sea, to the swells of color and creatures only the aquanaut could name. Occasionally, he would join his brother out in the waters that surrounded their home, but his world was that of paint and music. He would attempt to recreate the beauty they lived in, if only to test his abilities and glimpse into scapes beyond flora and sunsets. Art was his escape much like Gordon's was the ocean.

Now, the artist stood gazing out the patio windows, picking at cadmium yellow and russet that had found its way under his nails. He was watching the waves and the glow of the sun touching each peak, late afternoon approaching early evening. Gordon wasn't back yet and, though that wasn't unheard of for the ocean-dwelling blonde, it was the third day in a row. This was a fact that Virgil had picked up on by how often he'd seen his little brother in his wetsuit. It was almost like the blonde lived in it, but Virgil knew how quickly the kid could forget - to take a break, eat, come up for air. When other brothers were focused on companies and reports or school and games, Virgil would carve out moments in his day to check up on their fish. 

"Gordo," his call came before he took a sip of the coffee he shouldn't have made this late in the day. 

Virgil wasn't sure what he'd expected, but silence wasn't the optimal response. Gordon knew better than to ignore a call when he could be needed for a rescue. The chance that his brother could be underwater without his comm was a possibility, but one that meant Virgil might need to take one of the boats to go locate the blonde. He would give it another twenty minutes, forgo asking John who was on a mandatory sleep cycle, and head down to the docks. At least they'd made the rule Gordon had to log his locations before venturing out. Even without Thunderbird 5, Virgil would be able to find his brother.

"You still out there, Fish?" Virgil tried again to no avail. A grumble and he decided twenty minutes might be too long for his nerves. A quiet trip out to Gordon's reef was quickly growing in its appeal, especially if it meant dragging his brother up for some sustenance and rest. 

A quick change was in order and Virgil opted for the hangar locker room, mainly due to its access to the boat docks and the knowledge that they all kept a spare set of swim trunks for such occasions as this. Mostly, they used them for post-mission stress relief when going upstairs was just too arduous a task. 

Coffee mug abandoned by the sink, Virgil made his way over to the elevator, assessing the progress he'd made on the paint. Enough of the yellow had stayed, bringing a humourous grin to his face. Yellow seemed to always be giving him trouble, but he couldn't see life without it. 

The descent was slow - much slower than his launch tube - and he let his mind wander to the art piece he'd been working on. Surprisingly enough, it was for the missing brother - a gift to go with the series hanging on the aquanaut's wall. Each canvas held a part of the ocean - clear ceruleans, stormy blues with grey foam crashing over a shore, brightly colored fish and corals, calm waters under a sky speckled with stars, and reflections rippling off a sandy ocean floor. This one was the ocean at sunrise and held so much of his little brother's spark. Virgil had been unable to keep the smile from his face as he worked and the memory of it spurred him on to locate their family's source of sunshine. 

The doors to the lift slid open and the raven-haired man made his way to the locker rooms, hoping his gear was still stashed inside. It had been a while since he'd needed it, but he doubted anyone would've messed with his clothes and to his relief, he found the duffle bag tucked into its place. There might have been a thin layer of dust over it, but that didn't stop him.

Virgil glanced over to the cubby next to his, noting that Scott's pack was in a similar condition. The two eldest brothers appeared to be in the same boat when it came to not getting in one. He wondered about Alan and John's, fairly certain the latter hadn't touched his in months, if not over a year. The other lockers were in a separate section to allow for some privacy after a mission, mostly for Gordon and his own sake, and Virgil was tempted to check the two astronauts' cubbies. No need to check the aquanaut's. It was typically used on a daily basis. Their fish just couldn't stay out of the sea for long.

Trunks and a tee in hand, the engineer began the cumbersome task of removing his boots. He kicked them to the side, fairly certain he'd be putting them back on shortly. This wasn't a day trip like they used to do when they first arrived on the island. 

That brought memories he hadn't meant to dredge up. Two little blondes giving Dad a hard time about having to pack up and Scott betting with him about who would end up grounded first. It had always been a good day when Alan fell asleep against their father while Scott drove, Virgil, ever his second youngest's keeper, was given Gordon as the fish lost the battle to fatigue and napped against his side. The snores the kid could produce had always been amusing.

A soft sound halted Virgil's hands as he went to unbutton his shirt. A second passed, followed by another, but the sound didn't repeat. He shook his head, wondering if memories could make him imagine the things of the past.

A button came undone and the sound bounced into his ear again, unmistakably real this time. Confused, Virgil padded to the door that separated his and Scott's cubbies from the rest of the family's. A gentle click as the door opened and brown eyes scanned the empty room. His ears strained to hear anything that might be the sound from before, but silence was all he received. 

Brows furrowed, Virgil knowing he'd heard something, viewed the empty room skeptically. He could see, however, that Gordon's clothes were still haphazardly placed inside his cubby. So, the fish hadn't made it back yet. The engineer would need to have a talk with his co-pilot about keeping his excursions to a reasonable amount of time. Diving from morning to dusk on a daily basis couldn't be healthy, no matter how much mental relief the aquanaut received from it. 

Three lumbering steps forward and Virgil was picking up the Hawaiian shirt and jeans, folding them properly back into their places. Gordon probably wouldn't appreciate the gesture, but this was just what the second eldest did. Keeping the two youngest as well rounded as he could with both of their parents gone had been part of Virgil's job since losing their mother. Gordon and cleanliness might have to be considered a lost cause, however - at least until he got the nerve to tell Lady Penelope how he felt about her. Cleaning up his messes would just be par for the course and, by the way Virgil knew Gordon felt about her Ladyship, it would be a change he would gladly make. 

A pivot to finish getting dressed and Virgil froze, breath catching in his chest as he caught sight of the figure hidden in the corner. Gordon sat on a bench, wedged against the wall, clearly asleep as a soft snore escaped him. He'd managed to get his arms out of his wetsuit and push it down his torso, but that's where he'd stopped. Whether the kid had decided to or not, he'd given up on getting dressed, deeming the bench comfier than his own bed by distance alone. 

Virgil's senses came back the moment he realized his brother wasn't about to wake up at his sudden presence, instead focusing on the condition Gordon had put himself in. The medic in him could see the angry skin across his brother's arms and chest where salt water and neoprene, along with hours on end of swimming had rubbed it raw. He could also see previous patches in various stages of healing. A talk was absolutely happening with this new piece of information.

On top of that, the blonde looked exhausted. His cheeks were glowing with the developing tan and sunburn. Blonde locks were still stiff and damp with salt water, meaning a shower hadn't been achieved. 

"What am I gonna do with you," Virgil whispered to himself as he regarded the slumped figure. For one, he wasn't going to leave him down here to sleep. Quietly, he retraced his steps and grabbed the boots he'd just wrestled off, slipping them back on for the trip upstairs. When he went back to Gordon, he found the blonde hadn't even stirred.

Another memory popped into his head as Virgil bent down to collect the smaller man info arms built for lifting. It was a continuation of the previous, Gordon asleep against him on their way back to the island, eventually leading to Virgil having to carry the sleeping pre-teen up to his room. Though they were older now and Gordon much heavier than he used to be, Virgil still found the task simple enough. His little brother's head was nestled into his shoulder, arms crossed over his chest as he slept on, oblivious to the deep footsteps or the chime of the elevator. 

A snore that was almost a laugh, gave light to dreams floating through the blonde's head. Virgil would have to ask later, once sleep had been had and food consumed. He could speculate, though, imagining Gordon's personality heightened in a realm where confidence could be exaggerated and outcomes tuned to an individual's desires. He would be an unstoppable force of joy and mischief all wrapped into a bundle of energy. Virgil was subjected to it enough times to know what dreams made Gordon happy.

No stairs needed as the elevator hit the top floor and he stepped out just as their grandmother was about to head downstairs. She offered him a confused look that shifted to concern before she shook her head with a knowing smirk and waved them down the hall. She'd lived with them long enough to know when to be worried. As it stood, if Virgil wasn't losing his cool over the aquanaut's condition, then there was no reason to freak out.

The engineer continued on, adjusting his brother before activating the door to the necessary room and watching it slide open. The space beyond was like stepping into the mind of someone who couldn't just pick one theme. Tacky shell lamps matched the seafoam comforter, but shelves of old tech - some useless after losing their function - along with maps of the sea floor and posters from shows no one but Gordon watched marred the image. The closet was an unkept mess of shirts and pants shoved into cubbies. Nothing hung from clothes hangers and hadn't for years, save for a suit wrapped in plastic for special occasions. His little brother - skilled rescue operative in every sense of the word - still lived like a kid and Virgil wouldn't change it for anything. 

Leave it to Gordon to finally stir as he was lowered onto the bed, "Virg?" Amber flashed behind dropping eyelashes, disappearing once more as the elder pulled an extra blanket over him.

"Get some sleep, kiddo," Virgil whispered, giving the blonde's shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"Mmm- mermaids in th'cove," the gibberish was accompanied by a tired sigh as the aquanaut settled into the plush mattress.

A fond smile graced his face, Virgil holding back the chuckle, "Sure, Fish - mermaids." 

Mission complete, he stood for a moment, simply watching the steady rise and fall of his slumbering brother's chest. It was just a shame he couldn't have gotten him out of the wetsuit. Knowing Gordon, though, come morning, he would be right back in it - his second skin, only there to keep him safe from the elements. If it came down to it, the engineer would go with him, if only to ensure he didn't end up napping in the locker room again. 

With that idea, the desire to return to his art project grew, wondering if his sunrise would match that of the following day. Determined to find out, Virgil set his comm to wake him at Gordon's usual hour. It would be worth it, for him and his little brother. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope y'all liked this fluff fic (omigoodness I didn't write whump!) It came from the new animal crossing update where you can swim in the ocean and collect sea critters :3 poor Gordon was swimming around my island for hours!


End file.
